Srikakulam district is one of the twenty-six districts of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, located in the Uttarandhra region of the state, with its headquarters located at Srikakulam.[5][6] It is one of the six districts, located in the extreme northeastern direction of the state. It was formerly known as Chicacole , and was under Ganjam district till 1936 April 1, then merged under Vizagapatam district . Srikakulam district forms the core area of Kalinga where most of its historical capitals like Kalinganagari, pithunda, Dantapuram are located.
Evidence of early historic man and his activities during the Stone Age and Iron Age have been discovered at Sangamayya Konda and Dannanapeta. The speciality of Dannanapeta Iron Agemegalithic site is a large single capstone as a dolmen with 36 ft in length and 14 ft in width and 2 ft thickness. Sailada Hills consists of 36 upright rocks and natural caves used for habitation by Iron Age man in Amudalavalasa mandal of the district.[7]
Evidences of Jain monuments and Buddhist remnants were discovered near Sangamayya Konda. Jain rock beds were discovered at Dannanapeta near Amudalavalasa in the district. Salihundam is a famous Buddhist remnants site on the south bank of River Vamsadhara 5 kilometres west of Kalingapatnam and 18 kilometres from Srikakulam town.[8]
Post Independence
Srikakulam District was carved out in 1950 by bifurcating it from Visakhapatnam District. It remained unaffected in its territorial jurisdiction for some time. But in November 1969 the district lost 63 villages from Saluru Taluk and 44 villages from Bobbili Taluk on account of their transfer to the then newly constituted Gajapathinagaram Taluk of Visakhapatnam District.
In May 1979, the district underwent major territorial changes with the formation of a new district with headquarters at Vizianagaram which involved transfer of Salur, Bobbili, Parvathipuram and Cheepurupalli Taluks to the new district. Srikakulam's culture is a blend of traditional festivals, food, music and theatres.[9]
Geography
Srikakulam district occupies an area of 4,591 square kilometres (1,773 sq mi),[10] comparatively equivalent to Trinidad and Tobago.[11] It is within the geographic coordinates of 18°-20’ and 19°-10’ N and 83°-50’ and 84°-50’ E. The district is skirted to a distance by Kandivalasagedda, Vamsadhara and Bahuda at certain stretches of their courses while a line of heights of the great Eastern Ghats run from the northeast. Vizianagaram district and Parvathipuram Manyam district flanks in the south and west while Odisha bounds it on the north and Bay of Bengal on the East. Srikakulam district can be divided into two main distinct natural divisions. A portion of Srikakulam district is plain terrain with intense agriculture and the other is rocky and hilly terrain covered with forests. Some of the Mahendragiri Hills covers Srikakulam district. Most of the forest area of the plain terrain has been damaged by intense agriculture. Kotthuru, Hiramandalam, Pathapatnam, Kalingadal reservoir and some other areas are still covered with dense forests. Srikakulam is 100 km (62 mi) north of Visakhapatnam. It has a population of 2,703,114 of which 10.98% is urban as of 2001. Srikakulam district has the longest coastline (about 193 km (120 mi)) in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
Major rivers flowing through the district are River Nagavali, River Vamsadhara, Mahendratanaya, Champavati, Bahuda, Kumbhikota Gedda, Suvarnamukhi, Vegavati, Gomukhi. The Nagavali and Vamsadhara are the major rivers in Srikakulam district. These two river basins together constitute about 5% of the area. The Mahendratanaya and Bahuda rivers are two minor river basins in the district. Others are Benjigedda, Peddagedda, Kandivalasa gedda. Major irrigation projects on these rivers — Vamsadhara Project, Narayanapuram Anicut, Thotapalli Regulator — and some medium projects at Pydigam Project, Onigadda provide a total ayacut of 69,373 acres (280.74 km2).
According to the 2011 census Srikakulam district has a population of 2,703,114, roughly equal to the nation of Kuwait[13] or the US state of Nevada. This gives it a ranking of 147th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 462 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,200/sq mi). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 6.38%.[14] Srikakulam has a sex ratio of 1014 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 62.3%.[15]
After reorganization the district had a population of 21,91,437, with a sex ratio of 1014 females to every 1000 males. 373,746 (17.05%) lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes made up 1,85,890 (8.48%) and 94,371 (4.31%) of the population respectively.[15]: 86–89
At the time of the 2011 census, 92.34% of the population spoke Telugu, 6.18% Odia and 0.92% Sora as their first language.[17]
Household indicators
According to 2007–08, International Institute for Population Sciences,[18] 86.9% had access to electricity, 70.4% had drinking water, 18.5% toilet facilities, and 47.2% lived in a pucca (permanent) home.[18] 31.5% of girls wed before the legal age of 18 and 90.1% of interviewees carried a BPLcard.[18]
The district is divided into 3 revenue divisions: Palasa, Srikakulam and Tekkali, which are further subdivided into a total of 30 mandals, each headed by a sub-collector.[19]
Mandals
The list of 30 mandals in Srikakulam district, divided into 3 revenue divisions, is given below.[20][21]
Before Formation of Mandals, Administration was done through Taluka system. Erstwhile Talukas in district is given below.
In 1978, the number of talukas in Srikakulam district was increased from 14 to 19. Later in 1985, 19 Talukas were divided into 60 mandals, out of which 14 talukas were in Srikakulam further bifurcated into 38 Mandals.
There are three Parliamentary Constituencies and 10 assembly constituencies in Srikakulam district. Parliamentary constituencies include Srikakulam, Araku, and Vizianagaram.[22]
The gross district domestic product (GDDP) of the district is ₹19,942 crore (US$2.5 billion) and it contributes 3.8% to the gross state domestic product (GSDP). For FY 2013–14, the per capita income at current prices was ₹57,174 (US$720). The primary, secondary and tertiary sectors of the district contribute ₹4,855 crore (US$610 million), ₹4,114 crore (US$520 million) and ₹10,973 crore (US$1.4 billion) respectively.[24]
The primary and secondary school education is imparted by government, aided and private schools, under the School Education Department of the state.[28][29] As per the school information report for the academic year 2015–16, there are 3,875 schools. They include, 55 government, 2,833 mandal and zilla parishads, 1 residential, 573 private, 14 model, 32 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV), 85 municipal and 282 other types of schools.[30] The number of students enrolled in primary, upper primary and high schools of the district is 371,472.[31]
^"Existing State Highways"(PDF). Andhra Pradesh Road Development Corporation. Government of Andhra Pradesh. p. 1. Archived from the original(PDF) on 20 September 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
^"School Education Department"(PDF). School Education Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh. Archived from the original(PDF) on 27 December 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
^"School Information Report". Commissionerate of School Education. Government of Andhra Pradesh. Archived from the original on 8 November 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
^"Student Information Report". Commissionerate of School Education. Child info 2015–16, District School Education – Andhra Pradesh. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
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